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Hampshire's Billy Morgan wins bronze at Winter Olympics

Billy Morgan from Southampton has won bronze in the men's snowboarding big air in Pyeongchang. It brings Great Britain's medal haul to five - a record for the Winter Olympics.

The 28 year old is the first British man to win a Winter Olympic medal on the snow, and only the third Team GB athlete to do so after Jenny Jones and Izzy Atkin.

He'd crashed on his first of three jumps, meaning it was imperative he landed his next two in an event in which the medals are decided by the cumulative total of their best scores.

He succeeded in what he describes as a "front-side 14 triple with mute and tail-grab, but essentially a triple cork frontside wipe", to score 85.50 which put him into third place on 168.000. A position, even with 10 athletes still to go, he sustained.

When Canadian Max Parrot fell on his final run, Morgan's achievement was confirmed.

"Today I was like, even if I completely wreck myself it doesn't matter. I'm going to go and do it. Normally if I'm worried I just pie it off and go home. But today I was just, I'm going to go out and send it for the boys."

"I didn't think I could win a medal," conceded Morgan. "I had Torgeir
(Bergrem) and Max to come and they're rad riders, they never fall over - and they did. I had some good luck on the day but that's what makes the sport so interesting - you can do a trick 100 times but fall on that day."

– Billy Morgan

The former builder finished a disappointing 10th in qualifying for the men's slopestyle on the opening of the Games. So his preparations for his second event, was, possibly, unconventional.

"We had an early night last night. We spent yesterday out on the coast riding electric motorbikes in the woods. We got into a bit of trouble but I don't think we damaged anyone. Billy proves you don't have to be a cold-hearted machine to be an Olympic medallist."

– Hamish McKnight, Team GB snowboard coach

Billy had an unconventional approach for his second event Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

His success is even more remarkable because of the injury issues that threatened his participation in the Pyeongchang Games. He'd competed in the Sochi Olympics in 2014 without an anterior cruciate ligament, so subsequently needed substantial knee reconstruction 2 years ago.

He faced another setback last summer when his father suffered a severe aneurysm at his home in Southampton.

"That was a heavy hit. He's a big part of my life. But he's come a long way and he's at the pub watching. He's called Mad Eddie, he's nuts."

– Billy Morgan

Watch Billy in action at the Spring Battle in Austria in March 2016.

Reporter Richard Slee has been speaking with Billy Morgan's friends and colleagues in Southampton. Watch his report here.